Pixel Buds/ Google Assistant-powered headphones

I'm actually getting a little bit interested in these, but obviously I'd need an unbiased view. It'll be interesting to see how they shape up in reality in terms of practicality and sound quality.
 
String said:
And first review isn't looking good at all.

https://gizmodo.com/googles-pixel-buds-arent-even-close-to-being-good-1820411288
Click to expand...

Err, that's a review? The reviewer had little or no idea of what Google had said at the launch last month about Pixel Buds. The wire is needed and the Pixel Buds will not work without them. This was stated at launch. Let's wait for a review from someone more qualified.

Actually the first comment in your linked article from Google about sums it up.....you might read it and find it as amusing as I did.

Check out this review from Inc. The author "gets it." The vision: a future without a smartphone. By the way, he loved the sound quality and said it was superior to Air Pods.

https://www.inc.com/john-brandon/say-hello-to-no-smartphone-future-thanks-to-google-pixel-buds.html
 
Last edited:
sesevans said:
Err, that's a review? The reviewer had little or no idea of what Google had said at the launch last month about Pixel Buds. The wire is needed and the Pixel Buds will not work without them. This was stated at launch. Let's wait for a review from someone more qualified.
Click to expand...
Good reviews aren't designed for people who religiously watch launch events, he makes a very valid point that a lot of readers will not know. I didn't.
 
sesevans said:
Err, that's a review? The reviewer had little or no idea of what Google had said at the launch last month about Pixel Buds. The wire is needed and the Pixel Buds will not work without them. This was stated at launch. Let's wait for a review from someone more qualified.

Actually the first comment in your linked article from Google about sums it up.....you might read it and find it as amusing as I did.

Check out this review from Inc. The author "gets it." The vision: a future without a smartphone. By the way, he loved the sound quality and said it was superior to Air Pods.

https://www.inc.com/john-brandon/say-hello-to-no-smartphone-future-thanks-to-google-pixel-buds.html
Click to expand...

Are you actually capable of being subjective at all when it comes to Google?

Surely you can't think the Pixel buds are perfect? A few review sites that have popped up over the last 48 hours have similar negative points about the Pixel Buds (flimsy case, pairing not actually that quick and 5hr battery life that's comparable to AirPods despite being much bigger). Sound is highly subjective but I've read that for the price, there are better sounding wireless IEMs out there; you could argue that the Pixel Buds primary use is Google Assistant and sound performance is secondary but who really speaks to Google Assistant in public? I use "Okay Google" if I'm at home and want to set a timer for the oven for example, or in the car for hands free use but I will always opt to type in the Google app over talking to it in public.
 
Mekrel said:
Are you actually capable of being subjective at all when it comes to Google?

Surely you can't think the Pixel buds are perfect? A few review sites that have popped up over the last 48 hours have similar negative points about the Pixel Buds (flimsy case, pairing not actually that quick and 5hr battery life that's comparable to AirPods despite being much bigger). Sound is highly subjective but I've read that for the price, there are better sounding wireless IEMs out there; you could argue that the Pixel Buds primary use is Google Assistant and sound performance is secondary but who really speaks to Google Assistant in public? I use "Okay Google" if I'm at home and want to set a timer for the oven for example, or in the car for hands free use but I will always opt to type in the Google app over talking to it in public.
Click to expand...

Steady on. I like to deal in facts, which are objective not subjective. I think you mean objective in your first sentence?

I did not say they were "perfect" but they have some very good features. This article from Mashable today sums up what I know now:

1. They are the best wireless earbuds for Pixel owners.
2. "Google's own take on wireless earbuds isn't just great for music — the headphones sound a little better than AirPods — but they're also loaded with intelligence thanks to the company's Assistant and real-time translation features that could change communication as we know it."
3. "The cable that connects the two earbuds is also braided and multi-functional. Not only does it protect the inner wire (yes, there's a wire inside so don't cut the cord or you'll destroy the buds), but it ensures you'll never lose them. "
4. "For $159, I'm pleased with the audio quality. Obviously, I would have loved top-notch sound, but I can live with them."
5. "Thank you, Google, for putting touch controls on the right earbud. If there's any one thing I hate about AirPods aside from their unfashionable design, it's the lack of volume controls. On the Pixel Buds, you simply swipe forward to increase the volume and swipe back to turn it down. There's no need to fish out your phone or ask a voice assistant (a big no-no)."
6. "The Pixel Buds' single biggest advantage over AirPods or any other wireless earbuds is their integration with your phone's Google Assistant and Google Translate."
7. "My personal favorite thing is double-tapping the right earbud when I get a notification. After you grant it access to read your notifications, it'll do it. It was really nice to have my Slack notifications read to during my morning commute. It let me read a book on the train without getting distracted with Twitter and Instagram."
8. "The Assistant alone gives the Pixel Buds an edge over AirPods, but the real-time Google Translate feature pushes it above and beyond"
9. "I was really blown away when I tried them out last month at Google's holiday pop-up shop in NYC and was eager to try it in the real world. Currently, they support 40 languages, including French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian (to name a few)."

What is the vision that Google seems to be pushing? As I mentioned in an earlier post, a world where the wireless earbud actually replaces your smartphone. That is a future I look forward to and I support this effort.

So my early impression is highly favourable, but certainly not perfect. But for $ 159 (presumably £ 159 here), I am a buyer.

http://mashable.com/2017/11/15/google-pixel-buds-review/#PqEIhcpDViqa
 
From a visit recently to the Google Store:

Latest rumour about Pixel Buds arrival on these shores: Hearing that your best bet to secure a pair will be by registering with the Google Play Store rather than attempting to wait for them to arrive in store. Supply initially will be tight, esp for the White or Blue variant, with the Black probably being the easier Pixel Bud to secure initially.

Since my Pixel 2 XL will be a Panda, I will wait for the White colour to reach the Play Store. I have joined the waitlist available on the Play Store.
 
sesevans said:
Steady on. I like to deal in facts, which are objective not subjective. I think you mean objective in your first sentence?

I did not say they were "perfect" but they have some very good features. This article from Mashable today sums up what I know now:

1. They are the best wireless earbuds for Pixel owners.
2. "Google's own take on wireless earbuds isn't just great for music — the headphones sound a little better than AirPods — but they're also loaded with intelligence thanks to the company's Assistant and real-time translation features that could change communication as we know it."
3. "The cable that connects the two earbuds is also braided and multi-functional. Not only does it protect the inner wire (yes, there's a wire inside so don't cut the cord or you'll destroy the buds), but it ensures you'll never lose them. "
4. "For $159, I'm pleased with the audio quality. Obviously, I would have loved top-notch sound, but I can live with them."
5. "Thank you, Google, for putting touch controls on the right earbud. If there's any one thing I hate about AirPods aside from their unfashionable design, it's the lack of volume controls. On the Pixel Buds, you simply swipe forward to increase the volume and swipe back to turn it down. There's no need to fish out your phone or ask a voice assistant (a big no-no)."
6. "The Pixel Buds' single biggest advantage over AirPods or any other wireless earbuds is their integration with your phone's Google Assistant and Google Translate."
7. "My personal favorite thing is double-tapping the right earbud when I get a notification. After you grant it access to read your notifications, it'll do it. It was really nice to have my Slack notifications read to during my morning commute. It let me read a book on the train without getting distracted with Twitter and Instagram."
8. "The Assistant alone gives the Pixel Buds an edge over AirPods, but the real-time Google Translate feature pushes it above and beyond"
9. "I was really blown away when I tried them out last month at Google's holiday pop-up shop in NYC and was eager to try it in the real world. Currently, they support 40 languages, including French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian (to name a few)."

What is the vision that Google seems to be pushing? As I mentioned in an earlier post, a world where the wireless earbud actually replaces your smartphone. That is a future I look forward to and I support this effort.

So my early impression is highly favourable, but certainly not perfect. But for $ 159 (presumably £ 159 here), I am a buyer.

http://mashable.com/2017/11/15/google-pixel-buds-review/#PqEIhcpDViqa
Click to expand...

Yes, I meant objective - either way, you have a clear bias towards Google products & services and you don't even make any attempt to disguise it.

You questioned that the Gizmondo article was a review, but it clearly states it's a review and has a whole page of content about the authors experience with the product and comes with pictures. The "review" you linked to at Inc.com is a short article (in comparison to the Gizmondo article) of the guy's experience with the Pixel Buds after a few days of testing and the only picture is a lifestyle image.

You've not claimed they're perfect no, but you dispute any article that has any negative experience of Google products and copy & paste positive parts from a source that agrees with your bias. Heck, if you search for any posts created by you on this forum - you'll find about 8 threads all about Google products.
 
Mekrel said:
Yes, I meant objective - either way, you have a clear bias towards Google products & services and you don't even make any attempt to disguise it.

You questioned that the Gizmondo article was a review, but it clearly states it's a review and has a whole page of content about the authors experience with the product and comes with pictures. The "review" you linked to at Inc.com is a short article (in comparison to the Gizmondo article) of the guy's experience with the Pixel Buds after a few days of testing and the only picture is a lifestyle image.

You've not claimed they're perfect no, but you dispute any article that has any negative experience of Google products and copy & paste positive parts from a source that agrees with your bias. Heck, if you search for any posts created by you on this forum - you'll find about 8 threads all about Google products.
Click to expand...

You seem to spend most of the time in your response talking about my objectivity rather than responding to the points I highlighted from the Mashable article. I prefer to respond to someone who provides objective evidence to refute these points.

If you care to respond to them I would be interested in further discussion. While you are thinking about the Mashable article, here is a review from 9 to 5 Google today which provides further objective comments from someone who has been using the Pixel Buds and has a number of seemingly valid points to make, while identifying some of the flaws. The sound quality seems to be fine, the Google Assistant built into the Buds is great and does not rely on your Pixel phone to work them and the notifications, while not perfect, seem very promising.

I do not mean to be contentious in my response but would rather ask if you would respond to each of the points in these blogs I have highlighted. Please refresh my memory: have you had a chance to wear the Pixel Buds yet, perhaps obtaining a pair from the US?

https://9to5google.com/2017/11/17/google-pixel-buds-review/
 
@sesevans the point being made is that it would be a waste of time conversing with you regarding Google products because you are hopelessly biased and will cherry pick only the positive. In actual fact, you've been caught copy/pasting excerpts from web articles and passing it of as your own thoughts and actions.
 
String said:
@sesevans the point being made is that it would be a waste of time conversing with you regarding Google products because you are hopelessly biased and will cherry pick only the positive. In actual fact, you've been caught copy/pasting excerpts from web articles and passing it of as your own thoughts and actions.
Click to expand...

I respect your opinion but disagree. I am always careful to credit a source when I cite one. The accidental omission of a citation to ComputerWorld in one post above does not make my observation any less valid. A simple keystroke error.
 
Interesting note today from Bloomberg about the size of the US smart home device market (mainly Amazon Alexa and Google Home)---currently 6.5 million Home are installed in US homes (vs 20 million for Amazon).

But of course this is for stand-alone devices rather than including the more than 100 million Android smartphones that have Google Assistant built in. So this research from Bloomberg does not reference the broader GA market which dominates the smart speaker market.

What the article does discuss of course is the delay announced yesterday by Apple in launching their Home competitor called HomeKit until 2018 with the suggestion that the delay is related to Siri not being ready to compete with Assistant and Alexa.

https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/ar...-s-homepod-delay-isn-t-just-a-momentary-lapse
 
Pixel Buds now available on the Google Play Store!

Ordered the black and white (Panda) to match my Panda Pixel 2 XL.

Delivery 14-15 December in UK!

Will post my impressions after I receive and play.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom